Jiska Engelbert PhD

Assistant Professor

Biographical Note

Jiska Engelbert (PhD, Aberystywth) is a critical discourse researcher. Her work explores the relationship between (increasingly) media-oriented practices—from contemporary fundraising to controlling the borders of Europe—and neoliberalism.

She earned her PhD from Aberystwyth University (UK) in 2009. Her thesis showed how the parliamentary ‘New’ Labour Party and its members together –and through different media— constructed a new, neoliberal narrative of social democracy.

In the (recent) past, her work with Patrick McCurdy (U of Ottawa) explored how the British public service broadcaster, the BBC, discursively deals with tensions between journalistic principles and its increased ‘public value’ requirements. And with Jacob Groshek (Boston University), she researched how mediated self-representation of populist movements in the United States and the Netherlands features in the ‘branding’ of politics and countries.

Her current research has two major strands. First, with Isabel Awad (Erasmus University), she continues to investigate how neoliberal (European) immigration politics—especially the ‘securitization’ of migration and moves towards ‘post-multiculturalism’ and ‘super-diversity’—shape how cultural diversity can be discussed, implemented and stimulated in public (media) institutions. Second, in individual work and through collaboration with Mervi Pantti (U of Helsinki), Jiska researches how spectacular and mediatized fundraising features in visions for citizenship in the ‘Big’ or ‘participatory’ society.

Dr. Engelbert develops and applies her research expertise through collaborations and contract research with independent organizations, like London-based Counterpoint (she was a partner in their cross-national study on the rise of European populism); through her teaching and supervision in all degree schemes at the Dept. of Media & Communication, at Erasmus University College and, as a visiting lecturer at the University of Helsinki; and through guest lecturers and speaking events in and beyond academia.

In the Department of Media and Communication, dr. Engelbert is the coordinator of the Pre-Master Programme in Media Studies and co-coordinator of the IBCoM Honours Programme.

She is co-promotor for PhD candidate Simone Driessen’s project on music-related memories, nostalgia and post-youth culture, and could supervise PhD candidates in the fields of media and cultural studies, social theory and (critical) discourse analysis.